The child lowered his head, his thick lashes casting shadows over his eyes. He stared at the juice-stained fingers that had touched the berry, pondered for a moment, and then spoke in a voice so faint it was almost inaudible: "Then let it be A Jing."
He had already begun learning to read and write, and knew that the character "Yao" in his original name meant sunlight, radiance. And "Jing" also carried the meaning of sunlight.
Lin Wu looked at his lowered little head and gave a soft nod. "Mm, A Jing."
"What surname does A Wu have?" he asked next.
"My surname is Lin." As a disposable character in the original story, A Wu naturally had no surname—everyone simply called her A Wu. But Lin Wu was her true name.
"Then I shall be Lin Jing," he responded without hesitation.
"Alright, Lin Jing." Lin Wu looked at him and nodded.
Her hands never stopped moving as she clumsily wove strips of rattan. She wasn't skilled at this craft—the weave was rough, but she only cared that it be sturdy and durable. She also made a smaller rattan basket for Lin Jing, complete with vine straps so he could carry it on his back.
"Here, this is for you," she said, handing the little backpack basket over. "From now on, this will be your satchel."
Lin Jing accepted it and carefully slipped it onto his shoulders.
They had spent a good deal of time here. After placing the berries into their respective baskets, they continued on their way.
It seemed luck was beginning to favor them.
Before long, on a sunny patch of sloped ground, several wild hawthorn trees came into view, their bright red fruit hanging from the branches and standing out vividly among the woods.
Lin Wu picked a good number of wild hawthorns and placed them into her basket.
By now, the sun hung high overhead.
The forest was filled with the warmth of an autumn afternoon. Yet Lin Wu dared not show the slightest negligence—the woods at night were fraught with peril. They had to find a safe place to shelter before darkness fell.
The two managed to keep their strength up on wild fruit alone, trudging unsteadily over the rugged mountain path.
Just as they were so exhausted they could barely lift their feet, Lin Wu pushed aside a thick clump of brush and discovered, hidden behind it at the base of the cliff wall, an inconspicuous cave opening.
She immediately retreated behind the bushes, shielding Lin Jing behind her, gripping her wooden stick tightly. Her eyes darted across the ground near the cave entrance.
The soil was hard and dry. No fresh claw marks or droppings.
Using the brush as cover, she reached out with her stick and pounded the ground at the cave mouth a few hard times.
No animal came charging out.
Only then did she climb over the thicket, carefully probing the stick into the cave, swinging it about with force. When she hit nothing living, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She bent down and peered inside.
The interior was more spacious than she had imagined—roughly four or five square meters, enough to accommodate two or three people. The cave smelled of dust and dry hay, with none of the rank animal stench. This made her heart lighten with joy.
She continued to inspect more thoroughly. Thanks to the light filtering in from the entrance, she could see at the farthest corner a few scattered acorns and a small tuft of dull gray fur—likely left behind by some squirrel that had once stored its food here. Lin Wu silently apologized to that squirrel she'd never met.
She then raised her stick again and knocked against the cave's stone walls. The sound was solid, and no loose dust fell, confirming the rock was stable.
Only after all this was done did she feel completely at ease. She stepped back out and smiled at Lin Jing, who was watching her with anxious eyes. "We'll settle down here for the night."
"Alright." Lin Jing seemed to catch her mood, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint, barely discernible smile.
Though they were worn out, Lin Wu knew they couldn't rest just yet. She immediately began assigning tasks: "The entrance is narrow, which will shield us from the wind, and it's dry inside. Let's work together to clear the place out first."
The two sprang into motion.
Lin Wu had Lin Jing gather dry pine branches from outside. She bundled a few together to fashion a simple broom, using her stick to sweep the dead twigs and pebbles into a pile, then carefully brushing everything out of the cave.
After clearing the ground, she used the stick to wipe away the cobwebs in the corners.
With the initial cleanup done, the cave looked considerably tidier.
Lin Wu dusted off her hands. "Alright, next we need to find some dry fallen leaves. We'll pile them up thick and high so we can sleep warm tonight."
"Okay." Lin Jing responded immediately.
He stayed close behind Lin Wu, trying hard to mimic her every move. Lin Wu seemed to know exactly what to do at all times—when to hide, where to take shelter. She was constantly busy, searching, and slowly building a fragile bulwark of survival around them.
And he kept busy too—walking, trekking, picking wild fruit, cleaning the cave. His hands and feet had no rest, and his mind was filled only with "what to do next," leaving no room to dwell on the blazing fire from last night or the palace he could never return to.
The forest light faded quickly. They were pressed for time.
Lin Wu carefully recalled the trees she'd spotted during their earlier trek through the woods. There were quite a few pine trees. She instructed him: "We'll search separately, but we must never leave each other's sight. Look under the pine trees—those withered yellow pine needles are best, dry and resistant to dampness. Don't touch anything dark-colored or lying flat against the ground. Those carry too much moisture, and there might be small bugs underneath."
Lin Jing nodded vigorously, clutching the straps of his little basket tightly.
They searched methodically and cautiously near the cave.
Lin Wu used her stick to sweep aside the fresh top layer of fallen leaves, retrieving the dry layer underneath. Her movements were quick yet gentle, doing her best not to disturb any insects that might be hiding below.
"These are pine needles." She held up a handful of withered yellow ones for Lin Jing to see. She figured Lin Jing might not know what pine needles were.
Lin Jing studied them carefully, memorized what they looked like, nodded, then crouched down under a tree to begin searching, his little face utterly focused.
He quickly caught on to the knack of it. Before long, his little basket was brimming with pine needles.
Lin Wu also gathered plenty of dry broad leaves. These were thicker and larger, better at insulating against the cold ground.
They made several trips, and after collecting baskets full of dried leaves, they set about crafting their temporary lodging.
Lin Wu carefully spread a thick layer of pine needles at the very back of the cave, pressing them down firmly. Then she arranged the broad dry leaves evenly over them one by one.
She pressed her hand against the surface, confirming it was thick enough, before turning to the small figure crouching nearby, quietly organizing the extra leaves.
"You can try it now. Sit on it," she said, patting the leaf bed.
Lin Jing looked up at her, then at the pile of leaves. Only then did he shift over gingerly and slowly lower himself to sit.
A soft crunch of dried leaves rose beneath him. The texture was strange and new.
Meanwhile, Lin Wu continued to sort out their belongings.
The two baskets held the wild fruit they'd gathered along the way. She took out everything she carried on her person, gathered the loose silver, copper coins, along with the three gold leaves and two silver hairpins, and stowed them all into two money pouches.
Then she used a few small stones to mark off a corner in the cave and placed the pouches inside. As for the scissors, she slipped them back into her breast pocket.
Lin Jing watched her organizing everything with such calm efficiency. He lifted the corner of his short jacket just a little and, from a beautifully embroidered silk pouch tied at his waist, took it out and handed it to her.
Because time had been short that day, Lin Wu had only swapped outer garments with the young boy, and this small pouch, having been tied snugly beneath the short tunic, had remained on him.
Lin Wu did not reach for it right away, but asked softly, "What is inside?"
